Slot-machine.



N. GILLIES.

SLOT MACHINE.

APILIOATION FILED MAR. 27, 1907.

Patented Mar. 2, 1909/ 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

. J6 a @@MMF 3 1 WITNESSES A TTOHNE Y8 N. GILLIES.

SLOT MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ww Q he Patented M21112, 1909.

Ah Q s INVENTOR r ATTORNEYS RS 00.. WASHINGTON. n. c.

afiW @64 W venient form for practical use.

NEIL GILLIES, OF HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS.

SLOT-MACHINE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 2, 1909.

Application filed. March 27, 1907. Serial No. 364,852.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NnrL GILLIEs, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Holyoke, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Slot t lachine, of which. the following is a specification.

, My invention relates to improvements in coin-controlled mechanism for slot vending machines in which the devices for locking the delivery member are arranged to be released when a coin of a certain predetermined denomination is introduced into the mechanism, only a coin of the right denomination unlocking the machine, and one such coin being required each time the machine is operated, and said invention consists generally of a counter-balanced lock, a delivery slide, for the articles vended, provided with a part adapted to be engaged by and released" from said lock, special coin chutes, and a peculiar device for discarding coins which are too small, together with certain subsidiary and auxiliary parts, all as hereinafter set forth.

The objects of my invention are, first, to produce a machine of the class specified which is free from the complications often present in such machines, and is therefore simple in construction and operation, and this without sacrificing the element of safety; second, to provide such a machine with a novel coin detector, selector or discarder which is herein termed a tipper; third, to equip the machine with easily separable and removable members so that the mechanism in part or in whole can be readily taken apart for the purpose of making repairs or for any other necessary purpose,and, fourth, to embody mechanism which possesses the requisite qualifications in a compact and con- 1 attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of a cigarvending machine comprising my invention, both doors of the case of the machine standing open to disclose the interior mechanism and parts; Fig. 2, an elevation of said machine with one side, the left, removed to expose a different aspect of said mechanism; Fig. 3, an enlarged front elevation of the mechanism showing the lock as it appears when actuated by a coin to release the de livery slide, and, Fig. 4, an enlarged central vertical section through the mechanism viewed as in Fig. 2, said slide being here represented in its forward position.

Similar figures refer to similar parts throughout several views.

Although my invention is herein shown and described as being incorporated in a cigar-vending machine, it is to be understood that the use of said invention is not for this reason to be considered as being restricted or limited in any sense; on the contrary the salient features of the invention may be applied in whole or in part to other uses, or in other words they may be embodied when practicable in other kinds of machines.

In the present instance I provide a case made of sheet-metal, cast-iron and wood raving a lower com artment or chamber 11 for the coin-control ed mechanism and an upper compartment or chamber 12 for the cigars. Doors 13 and 14, hinged to the case 10 at 15 and provided with suitable locks l6 l6, when closed respectively constitute the front sides of the compartments 11 and 12. The compartment 12 is not so deep as the compartment 11 so that the top of the latter is not only beneath but extends in front of the former and forms a table 17. Mounted to move back and forth on the table 17 is a delivery slide 18, the backward movement of said slide being limited by the back of the case and the forward movement by an arm 19 depending from the slide and by the front end of a slot 20 in said table through which said arm projects. A transverse slot or groove 21 is made in the slide 18, opening through the top thereof, and' such groove is just large enough to receive a cigar 22. Above the groove 21 and inline therewith, when the slide 18 is in its rearmost position, is a slot 23 in the floor 24 of he compartment 12. The groove 21 and the slot 23 are both a trifle longer than the cigars which the machine is designed to handle. A storage and feed trough 25, for the cigars 22, has the base fastened by a screw 26 to a block 27 secured to the floor 24 behind such base, and its top rested against the back side of the compartment 12, said trough being inclined rearward from below upward so that said cigars while having a tendency to gravitate downward will not crowd together too much. The floor 24 is so constructed and arranged that it can be drawn out of the case for the purpose ofpermitting the slide 18 to be removed, as will be subsequently explained. -7O are ribs rising from the top of the table 17 to serve as fixed guides for the slide.

From the preceding aragraph it will be seen that normally the ottom cigar 22 is in the groove 21 and that the others, provided there be others, are in the slot 23'and the trough 25, each of such cigars supporting those above or the rest of the pile above, as best shown in Fig. 2 The trough 25 is loaded orfilled with cigars through the front of the case when the door 14 is open; then said door is closed and locked and can so remain until it becomes necessary to replenish. the stock of cigars. A knob 28, is, attacl'ed to the front of the slide 18 in the center, and directly in front of this knobv when the slide is. pushed way back or closed, is a vertical slot 29- in the table 17 of the right size to receive a 0011 of the proper denomination to o .erate the machine. The location of the s 0t 29 is such that the, coin cannot be dropped into the same unless. the slide is in its extreme rearmost or cigar-receiving position, which insures closing the slide if open before depositing the coin and thus preventing such deposit while there is no cigar in the groove 21, otherwise the operator might fail to get a cigar for his coin.

Passing now from the cigar chamber 12 and the features associated therewith I will next proceed to describe the mechanism in the chamber ll below.

The arm 19 extends from the slide 13 through the slot 20 into the chamber 11, as already intimated, and to the bottom of said arm a forwardlyextending, vertical locking plate 30 is rigidly secured by means of a grooved lug 31 on top of said plate and a screw 32 which passes through that art of the arm which engages said lug into tre latter. The plate 30. also is provided at the top with a shelf 33 extending to the left, and has an L-slot 34 therein arranged with its short branch at the front end and extending upward. The most important feature of the slot 34 is theback edge of the aforesaid short branch which forms a shoulder 35 for a'locking lever 36. It will be observed tl v at the, slot 20 is parallel with the sides of the case, therefore the arm 19 is enabled to move back and forth with the slide 13, carrying with it the locking plate and an attached coin chute 37 presently to be described. The slot 29 is also parallel with the sides of the case.

On the floor of the chamber 11 is a block 38 having its left-hand edge beneath a cleatforward out .of the chamber when said bolt is raised out of locking engagement therewith. A coin receptacle or box 42, open at the top, may be placed loosely on the floor of the chamber in front of the block 38. This box is for the coins which operate the machine, and can be readily taken out when the door 13 is open.

Rising from the block 38 is an upright or standard 43 to the upper forked end of which the locking lever 36 is pivoted at 44. The lever 36 extends crosswise of the chamber 11 and has its right-hand terminal in the slot 34. The end of the lever36 at the left of the standard 43 is counter-weighted as shown at 45. fl. counter-poise 46 is mounted on the long arm of the lever 36 and held in place by a screw 47. The relation of the counter-poise 46 to the counter-weighted end, hereinafter designated the counterweight, 45 and the position of said counterpoise on the lever 36 are such that one balances the other or possibly said counterweight overbalances said counter-poise a little, except when the proper coin, in this instance a five-cent piece commonly called a nickel rests, upon the counterepoise when the long arm of said lever is swung down.

By mounting the counter-poise 46 so that it can slide on the lever 36 and providing a screw 47, provision is made for a very delicate adjustment of the oscillating parts so as to render them subject only to the influence of a coin which does not fall below a certain weight, and prevent the mechanism from being operated by a light-weight counterfeit for example. A nickel is represented at 48 in the last two views.

Besides the coin 'shute 37 already mentioned there are two others, one above said chute represented at 49 and one below represented at 50. All of said chutes are parallel with the sides of the chamber 11 and are preferably inclined more or less, the rear end.

of the top chute 49 being the lower and the front end of each of the other chutes being the lower. The chute 49 is supported at its forward terminal from the roof of the cham-v ber 11 by means of lateral flanges 51-51 at the top of said chute which enter a recess 52 in said roof from the front above a strap 53 which is secured to the roof below said re-. cess. The chute 37 has a flange 54 on the right-hand side which lies on the shelf 33 and is fastened thereto by a screw 55. The chute 50 is provided at the front end with a downwardly-extending lug 56 which enters between the front edge of the block 38 and a strap 57 attached to such edge. The front terminal of the coin chute 49 opens directly beneath the slot 29 and also opens behind between two rearwardly-extending arms 58 and 59 which form parts of this chute. Both of said arms are in the form of troughs and the upper arm has a downwardly-extending part or finger 60. The separation of the aforesaid arms in their deepest parts, that is, between the bottom of the groove in one and the top of the groove in the other, is approximately equal to the diameter of the coin, and there is space enough between the back end of the arm 59 and the adjacent end of the finger 60 to permit the coin to leave the chute at this point. The coin-chute 37, which moves with the loclring plate 30 to which it is attached while the other two chutes remain stationary, is open at the top and closed at the bottom except adjacent to the front end at 61. When at the rear end of its travel the chute 37 opens directly below the space between the back end of the arm 59 and the base of the finger 60 of tlr chute 49, and the opening 61 is directly over the counter-poise 46. Flaring side-pieces 6262 may be provided at the top of the chute 37 to assist in guiding the coin into said chute from the chute above. The chute 50 is situated with its upper rear end adjacent to the counter-poise 46 and its lower front end adjacent to the box 42.

A tipper, the use of which will be explained presently, comprises an angular arm 63 provided with a flexible tip 64 of rubber or other suitable material. One branch of the arm 63 is received between the right-hand w all of the chamber 11 and a strap 65 fastened to such wall, and the device is so located that the tip 64 extends 'rossarise between the arms 58 and 59 in the path of a coin rolling down the chute 49. Associated with th I tipper is a shelf or platform 66 supported by suitable flanges in a holder 67 fastened against the left-hand wall of the chamber 11. The 11 latform 66 is situated below the bottom plane of the chute 49 between the a all r-xhich supports it and the chute 37, and is of sufficient area to prevent coin turned aside by the tipper from said chute 49 from falling into the mechanism or onto the block 38 below, such coin either remaining on said platfor or else rolling down to the front edge thereof and dropping into the be" 42, the plaform being inclined downward from back to front for this purpose.

Assuming that the slide 18 is closed the operation of the machine with a coin 48 is as follows: The operator first drops the coin through the slot into the front terminal of the chute 49, it quickly rolls down said chute until the finger 60 is red when said coin is thereby deflected from its course and falls into the chute 47, rolls forward therein and slips through he opening 61 onto the counterpoise 46. The additional we it of the c countenpeise causes the long arm of t KJ at) lever to be depressed so that its engaging end passes below and out of the way of the locking plate shoulder 35, shown in Fig. he mechanism 1, 110?. unlocked and the operator next draws out the groove 21.

slide, as shown in Fig. 4, and removes the cigar from the groove 21. The coin 48 only partially escapes from the opening 61 when it drops onto the counter-poise, hence is swept forward oil of the latter, by the movement of the chute 37 with the slide 18, into the chute 50 down which it rolls or slides into the box 42. The engaging end or nose of the lever 36 is now in the long branch of the slot 34 in the plate 30 ready to rise in front of the shoulder 35 again, under the influence c-l the counter 7i eight 45, as soon as said plate is moved back with the slide 18. While the slide 18 open. the cigars in the slot 23 and he trough 25 are supported on the upper surface of said slide back of the Before another coin can be inserted in the slot 29 the slide 1.8 must be closed. lz hen the slide is closed another cigar passes into the groove therein and the locking plate 30 is carried back to allow the lever to enter the short branch of the slot 34 in front of the shoulder 35 and lock the mechanism.

The above described operations can occur repeatedly as long as nickels are used, because the nickel brushes the tipper tip 64 out of the way as it rolls down the chute 49 and is not interfered. with thereby, but if a coin of smaller size be dropped into said chute it has no support at the tip, that is, it does not reach the arm 58 which is in the form of an inverted trough, and when such coin arrives at said tip it is thereby turned aside to the left and falls from the arm 59 onto the platform 66 and either remains there until removed through the door 13 or rolls into the box 42. ln this manner under-sized coins are taken care of by the chute 49, owing to its peculiar construction, and the tipper. Coins which are too large cannot, of course, be inserted in the slot 29 or in the upper end of the same at least, which end is made only just large enough to receive one at a time. The slot 29 may be enlarged below its entrance, as shown in Fig. 4, so as to leave plenty of room for the coin after once it has been pushed through the more contracted part at the upper end of the opening. Lightweight coins and the like fail to move the lever 36 far enough to release the plate 30 as already explained.

To dismantle the machine, open the doors 13 and 14, remove the coin box 42, lift the chute 50 until its lug 56 is clear of the strap 57 and then remove said chute, draw the platform 66 out of its holder 67, draw the chute 49 forward until its flanges 51 are out of the recess 52, draw the tipper arm 63 clear of the strap 65, remove the screw to release the chute 37, and remove the screw 32 to release the locking plate 30. After taking out the aforesaid members, raise the bolt 40 and slide the block 38, with the standard 43 and supported parts, forward out of the chamber 11, which is now practically empty. Finally, to release the slide 18 with the attached arm 19, unscrew the screw 68 which holds the left-hand door-jamb 69 in place and remove such jamb, remove the screw 26 and take out the cigar trough 25, and then slide the floor 24 forward out of the case, when said slide 18 can be raised sufficiently to lift the arm 19 out of the slot 20 and so can be taken from the case altogether. The above order need not be adhered to except where necessary. By removing the pin 44 and taking away the lever 36 the block 38 with the standard 48 can be removed from the lock chamber 11 without disturbing any of the parts above except the chute 50 which may either accompany said block or be taken away first. All of the arts can be put back into place as easily as t ey were removed.

Many changes in shape, size, construction and arrangement of some or all of the parts of my invention will readily suggest themselves to one skilled in the art to which it appertains, and I seek to include all such changes within the scope of my claims. For example, in place of the groove in the delivery slide some other form of recess or depression may be substituted, especially if the slide is to be employed in connection with some other kind of vending machine beside a machine for cigars.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, in a slot machine, of a lower compartment having a slotted top which forms a flat table, a delivery slide mounted on said table such slide having a groove therein, a knob on said slide above the table, an upper compartment on the table above the slide and opening onto the same or into said groove according to the position of the slide, a depending arm carried by the slide and operating in the slot in the table, a shouldered locking plate supported by said arm in said lower compartment, a standard on the bottom of the lower compartment, and a locking lever pivoted to said standard, said lever being counter-weighted on one side of its pivotal point and having a coin-receiving counter-poise on the other side of such point and between the latter and the locking end of the lever, the arrangement being such that the lever is held by the counter-weight and counter-poise with its locking end in front of the locking plate shoulder except when a coin is deposited on top of said counter-poise.

2. The combination, in a slot machine, with a bi-compartment case, a table between such compartments having guide ribs thereon adjacent to the sides thereof, a removable delivery slide located on said table between said ribs and having a part projecting into the lower compartment, and a removable floor for the upper compartment over said tween its pivotal point and its locking end,

and coin conveying means opening at one end outside of said case and at the other end on top of said counter-poise.

4. The combination, in a slot machine,

with a delivery slide provided with a locking plate, and a coin-operated locking lever adapted to lock and release said plate, of a fixed coin chute, and a coin chute below said fixed chute attached to and movable with the plate as the latter moves with said slide, said movable chute being open at the top and at the bottom in the forward part thereof.

5. The combination, in a slot machine, with a suitable case, a delivery slide provided with a locking plate, a coin-operated lever adapted to lock and release said plate, and a receptacle or receiver for coins, of two fixed coin chutes and a movable coin chute leading from a slot in said case to said rece tacle or receiver, the arrangement being suc that said movable chute when in its rearward position opens at the to below one of said fixed chutes and when 111 its forward position opens at the bottom above the other of said fixed chutes.

6. The combination, in a slot machine, with a suitable case, a delivery slide provided with a locking late, a counter-weighted coin-controlled ocking lever adapted to lock and release said late, a coin-receiving counter-poise on said ever, and a receptacle or receiver for coins, of two fixed coin chutes and a movable coin chute leading from the outside of said case over said counter-poise to said receptacle or receiver.

7. The combination, in a slot machine, with a delivery slide provided with a depending arm, of a locking plate depending from said arm, and a coin chute connected with said plate, such chute being closed at its ends and open at the top and at the bottom in the forward part thereof.

8. The combination, in a slot machine, with a delivery slide provided with a locking plate, and coin-controlled locking and releasing mechanism for such late, of a movable chute carried by said ate, such chute being closed at its ends and open at the top and at the bottom in the forward part thereof.

9. The combination, in a slot machine, with a delivery slide provided with a locking plate, and coin-controlled locking and releasing mechanism for such plate, of a movable chute carried by said plate, sucn czxute being closed at its ends and open at the top and at the bottom in the forward part thereof, a fixed chute above such movable chute and opening into the same when the latter is in its rearmost osition, and a fixed cL-ute below said movab e chute.

10. T he combination, in a slot machine, with a delivery slide provided with a locking plate, and coin-controlled locking and releasing mechanism for such. plate, such mechanism consisting in part of a lever having a counter-poise thereon, of a movable chute carried by said plate, such chute being closed at its ends and open at the top and at the bottom in the forward art thereof, such bottom opening being directly above said counter-poise when said chute is in its rearmost position so that a coin in the chute tten dro s on to the counter-poise, but is swept ofl of the same upon the forward movement of the chute.

NEIL GILLIES.

Witnesses:

ALLEN W EBSTER, F. A. CUTTER. 

